


Dancing with the Flowers

by budewfan



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Language of Flowers, Love Confessions, Non-Binary Boscha, Other, Reconciliation, Temporarily Unrequited Love, The Grom (The Owl House)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/budewfan/pseuds/budewfan
Summary: Willow is given a note to meet someone in private in the restroom. When she arrives, she's soon face-to-face with Boscha, her former bully. However, it seems there's no malicious intent in Boscha's call.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda (background), Boscha/Willow Park, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 76





	1. The Second Grom Night

**Author's Note:**

> This idea popped into my head at around 9pm, so I stayed up until 1am writing the first chapter (I am not a speedy writer). Forgive me if anyone seems out of character, as characterization is not my forte.  
> While I love the "Boscha has a crush on Willow and Willow doesn't care" dynamic, I'm also a sucker for wholesome lesbians. Which direction will I take this? Well, if you read the tags, you might get a hint.

Willow sat in the bleachers next to Gus, watching Luz face Grometheus yet again. Principal Bump had (at Luz’s suggestion) decided to allow one other student to be on standby to assist in banishing the demon, as Grom would be twice as powerful this year due to absorbing the fears of two people last year. Amity had been chosen to fulfill this role, and was standing above the arena where Luz sent an icy spike through some weird one-eyed dorito, watching her crush intently. Willow was wondering when Amity would stop being a useless lesbian and just ask her out when Gus tapped her shoulder.

“Hey Willow,” he said, “This paper just hit me in the head, and it’s for you.” Gus held out a wrinkled sheet of paper, formerly balled up.

“Thanks, Gus,” Willow said as she read the note.

_ Willow _

_ Meet me in the girl’s bathroom _

_ I want to ask you something _

“Weird, huh?” Gus asked, “It doesn’t even say who sent it.” Willow was more troubled than her naive friend by the message. She turned to Gus.

“I’ll go see what it was about. I’ll be right back.” With that, she navigated the students entranced in the fight out to the barren halls. She strode to the bathroom, confident in her abilities to defend herself if need be. She slowly opened the door, peeking through the gap in the hinges to make sure nobody would attack her from behind, and stepped in.

Willow scanned the room, only to find it empty.

_ “That’s weird,” _ she thought. She slowly walked further into the bathroom, and checked the first stall. At that moment, footsteps echoed from across the hall, running into the bathroom. Willow looked over just in time to see Boscha slam the door shut, an odd look on her face.

“What do you want?” Willow asked. She reached into a pocket hidden seamlessly on her pale green evening dress and grabbed a seed, ready to yeet her former tormentor into the next dimension. Boscha had slowly backed off on bullying Willow after the grudgby match until a certain incident made her stop permanently.

“I...” Boscha glanced down, shoving her hands into the pockets of her...tux? Willow was somewhat surprised; usually Boscha would wear a glittery red evening gown to formal events. Tonight, however, she was wearing what Willow could best describe as an inverted tuxedo, almost everything was white with the exception of a black dress shirt and handkerchief. “I need to talk with you, Willow.” Willow still held tightly to the seed.

“About what?” she asked curtly.

“Well… a few things actually.”

“Then talk.”

Boscha took a deep breath before she said one of the last things Willow was expecting to hear.

“I’m sorry.” Willow nearly dropped her weapon as Boscha continued. “I’ve been a terrible person to you and so many others, and I know if I even want to talk with you, I need to start with an apology.” Still wary, Willow continued to hold the seed, albeit not as tightly.

“Sorry doesn’t–”

“I know,” Boscha cut her off, “Sorry isn’t enough. No matter how much I say it, it’ll never be enough. Hence why I only said it once.” A silence hung in the air, neither of the two saying anything. Willow pocketed the seed.

“If we’re going to talk, we should probably do it somewhere more scenic than the restrooms,” she pointed out. Boscha nodded, leading the way out of the school, Willow following close behind.

The two witches stopped at the bleachers for the grudgby field, taking a seat a good distance away from each other.

“So, what else did you want to talk about?” Willow asked. Boscha sighed and closed her eyes, likely thinking of where to start.

“You’re smart enough to figure it out, so I won’t beat around the bush. I...” Willow continued to focus on Boscha as she trailed off, trying to force the words out. “I… I wanted to ask you to dance.”

“So you’ve fallen in love with me?” Willow asked with no hesitation. Whether it was the unexpectedly quick response or the fact that she was right on the mark, Boscha’s face reddened.

“I guess I have,” Boscha laughed, tears forming in her eyes, “Of course, I know it’s one-sided. This isn’t some fictional world where someone I bullied suddenly falls in love with me.”

“You’re right about that,” Willow said. Why would she feel anything but dislike for Boscha? She’d bullied her more even when Amity was at her side. When Amity stopped associating with Boscha’s clique, the bullying worsened. Willow felt no love for the witch, although seeing her now, at what was likely one of her lowest moments, did make her feel somewhat sorry.

“I see you’re getting right to the point.” Boscha wiped her tears away before continuing, “I think it started after the grudgby match. Despite being offered a position on the team, you declined. I was worried you would accept, since I knew you had the potential to become a star player, taking away my fame. You were in the perfect position to get back at me, and you never did. I couldn’t stop trying to figure it out, and I eventually came to the conclusion that you thought you were so much better than me you didn’t need to show it. I started becoming angry at you for it, wanting to show everyone I was better than you.”

“Is that what led you to the cafeteria duel?” Willow asked as she lay on the seat, staring at the stars.

“Yes, it is.” Willow bringing it up brought back painful memories.

_ Boscha had come to her realization last night. Willow thought she was so much better than her, huh? She’d see about that. At lunch, she locked on to the table Willow and her friends were sitting at. _

_ “Willow Park!” she declared loudly, “I challenge you to a witches’ duel, here and now.” That annoying human tried to defend her friend, but Willow held out an arm, holding her back. _

_ “Are you sure, Boscha? It’s the middle of lunch, I don’t think Principal Bump–” _

_ “I already got his permission to have a duel during a free period. Now, fight me! If you think you’re so much better than me, then prove it!” At this point, the human was whispering something to Willow. Willow thought for a moment, then nodded. _

_ “I don’t know where you’re getting this idea that I’m better than you from, but if you’re absolutely not taking no for an answer, then I want to make some terms.” _

_ “If I win, you work for me as target practice for grudgby season!” Boscha demanded. _

_ “And if I win, you need to stop bullying people,” Willow said calmly. Boscha’s grin grew more sadistic, as she drew a pink magic circle in the air, sticking her hand into the everlasting oath. Willow took note of the oath, and shook her hand. _

_ The fight was over in the blink of an eye. Before Boscha could throw any of the harmful potions she’d made, Willow had pulled out a single seed. In a flash of green, it grew into a vine that shattered every bottle Boscha had prepared. She could only look on in horror as the volatile brews mixed in the air, causing a massive explosion with her being ground zero. _

_ When she came to, Willow and one of the girls who was taking multiple tracks were knelt over her. The other girl was using healing magic, keeping Boscha alive. Once she’d recovered enough, Willow nodded to her, and the healer left. _

_ “I don’t know what happened that you felt the need to do something so drastic,” she said, “But I hope whatever’s going on, it stops.” Boscha could only see red. Willow had just humiliated her again, this time in front of the entire damn school. She needed to get her back, she needed to prove she was stronger than her. Boscha tried to reach out to grab Willow, but found she could barely lift her arm. _

_ “If you’re trying to hit me, I had Viney leave before you were fully healed for a reason.” Boscha refused to let it end like this. She started drawing a magic circle, one that would reach into a pocket dimension so she could withdraw more potions, when Willow grabbed her wrist. _

_ “Please, just stop. The duel is over. You lost, and you need to accept that.” Boscha’s arm went limp as the realization set in, and Willow set it down. “You need to do a lot of things, if I’m being honest. Amity’s been telling me how she didn’t know who she was until she met Luz, and I saw her change as a person. If Amity can change, I’m willing to let you change, but you need to make up for what you’ve done. You need to look at yourself and ask who or what you are, and you need to ask how you can be better.” With that, Willow formed a pink circle and pulled Boscha’s arm into it, breaking the oath. Without another word, she left Boscha alone in the infirmary. _

“I think after you left is when I started thinking,” Boscha said. At this point, she, too, was laying on the bleachers. “It came to me that you aren’t a bad person. As time went on, you were again always on my mind, but I could never work up the courage to talk to you after our fight. Eventually, I was talking with Skara about how I was always thinking of someone, and she made me realize that I was in love.” Boscha rolled onto her side, hiding her blush as she said it out loud.

“How’d you find the courage to trap me in the bathroom to apologize?” Willow teased. Boscha felt even more embarrassed at how she’d handled the situation, but answered anyway.

“I think it was wearing what I wanted against my parents’ wishes,” she answered, “I’ve always preferred the look and feel of tuxedos, so even though my parents wanted me to wear some long fancy dress, I told them that I was going to choose my own outfit.” Boscha smirked as she recounted the events. “They agreed that I could wear whatever I wanted, which I got to rub in their faces when they tried telling me I couldn’t wear men’s clothes. They tried to tempt me with some admittedly nice dresses. They were comfier than what I’d picked, but it was more a matter of principle at that point. In the end… well, you can see what I went with.” She stood up to show off her outfit, smiling with pride.

“I will admit, you do pull off the look,” Willow said, “And I might have some suspicions of my own, but that’s for later. I suppose I should talk, since I’ve mostly been listening.” She sat up and patted the seat next to her, where Boscha sat.

“You wanted to ask me to the dance, right? To answer that question, I’m afraid I have to decline.” Boscha felt her heart ache, even though she knew this was the likely answer.

“You’ve still hurt me and others, be it physically or emotionally. Amity literally almost erased all my memories and you’ve arguably done worse.”

“I’m sorry, Amity did  _ what _ ?” Boscha asked.

“Long story,” Willow responded. “But I see dancing as more than just a thing for people to do with each other. It’s always been more important to me. I would hesitate to dance with even one of my friends, so I’m not going to dance with someone who’s caused me years of torment.”

“I understand,” Boscha said. She stood to leave when Willow tugged on her sleeve.

“I’m not done yet,” she said, guiding Boscha back onto the bench. “I’m not going to dance with you this year, but if you work on yourself to become a good person, and I mean genuinely good, not just being good because of me, then I might accept your offer by next year.” With this, Willow stood up and walked down to the field. After recovering from the shock of a potential future chance, Boscha followed quickly. Willow had cast a spell and a small purple flower had grown.

“What’s that?” Boscha asked as Willow plucked the blossom.

“It’s a purple carnagetion, I’d look up what they mean.” Saying this, Willow suddenly grabbed Boscha’s lapel, threading the carnagetion into place. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some friends to get back to.” Willow gave a small curtsy, and enjoyed Boscha shutting down in gay panic for just a moment longer before leaving for the gym.

“Hey guys, I’m back,” Willow said. Amity and Luz had joined Gus back in the stands, Amity wearing the tiara Luz obtained by defeating Grom.

“Hiya Willow, where’ve you been?” Luz asked.

“I was just in the bathroom,” Willow said with a smirk.


	2. The Third Grom Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year has passed since Boscha confessed to Willow, and a lot has changed. Have Boscha's feelings for Willow diminished in that span?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing the previous chapter: Boscha in a dress. No! In a tux! Those are typically worn by men, but women can wear them too. So can non-binary people. NB Boscha? Boscha's bullying stemming from being confused about themself and inability to be who they are? I like it. Now, to attempt to write a non-binary character while knowing...1 NB person IRL? That I know is NB?  
> Also, while writing this chapter, I caught myself referring to Boscha using she/her while I was trying to use they/them to refer to them, so let me know if I accidentally missed one.  
> I may not fully understand how to write trans characters, but I still say trans rights.

Boscha looked at themself in the mirror, dressed in the same outfit as the previous year. Since last Grom, a lot had changed, primarily their realization of being non-binary. Their parents hadn’t been too pleased, and after kicking them out, Boscha found family with one of the last people they expected to be accepting of them: the Blights. Odalia and Alador surprisingly took Boscha in, although Boscha suspected it was so they could have another prodigy to take credit for. Speaking with Amity, Boscha learned that all three Blight children had come out to their parents at the same time, leaving them in an all-or-nothing scenario. Alador was more accepting than Odalia, but when news broke that the head house of the Abomination Coven accepted witches regardless of sexuality, schools across the Boiling Isles reported an influx of students transferring to the Abomination track. The realization that accepting more people for who they are leads to more people supporting you made the two change their minds for good (At least, in public and in the household, Boscha wasn’t sure if they’d truly changed).

Boscha straightened their bowtie, pumped themself up, and made their way to the gym.

The fight against Grom hadn’t started yet, but they could see Luz helping Amity make last-minute preparations for her fight. The two had recently started dating (with some help from Willow and Boscha) and seemed inseparable since. Boscha navigated the dancing crowds, scanning their surroundings until they saw Willow chatting with Amelia. She, too, had used last year’s outfit, and was as stunning as always. Willow caught them staring, and quickly finished her conversation before walking over to Boscha.

“Hi Boscha!” Willow greeted, an adorable smile on her face. Boscha felt their face flush; one would think being told that you have a chance of being friends at best would make romantic feelings fade, but for Boscha, they only fell more for the witch.

“Hello… Willow...” Boscha again found it difficult to say what they were going to say. Could you blame them, though? Willow was gorgeous. They reached into their pocket to calm their nerves, and felt something. Boscha remembered that they had a gift, and they grasped the object and held it out, an angrymony stem coated with snarling yellow flowers, encased in clear resin. Willow stared, her eyes wide with surprise.

“After looking up the purple carnagetion’s meaning, I kinda got interested in plant symbolism. I’m sure you know what an angrymony means?” they asked.

“Of course, it’s one of many flowers to show gratitude, but these are violent and hard to get. Why choose them over the others?”

“I just wanted you to know how grateful I am to you,” Boscha said, handing Willow the immortalized plant. “You inspired me to become better, even if the main driving force was a chance to dance with the loveliest woman at Hexside.”

“Oh stop,” Willow giggled, a bit flustered by the praise, “You still changed yourself, even facing your own parents.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.” Boscha reached into their other pocket. “I noticed our outfits aren’t quite complete, so I had some help in making these.” With this, they pulled out a corsage featuring a yellow wandmullein flower surrounded by white astars, presenting it to Willow. She smiled, holding out her arm for Boscha to slide it on.

“Now my outfit is complete, but if you want to give me this, I have to give you what you’re missing,” Willow said, drawing a small green circle over Boscha’s chest. A small boutonnière of a white maginolia formed. Boscha tried to remember what it meant, when Willow filled them in, “Wandmullein means good-natured, so I gave you a maginolia, since you have a very obvious love for nature.”

“Th-Thanks,” Boscha stammered out. How the hell was she so smooth with that on the spot? Boscha quickly shook their head, trying to clear their thoughts.

“Anyways, the fight against Grom is going to start soon, so while we have the time,” they extended their hand, “May I have this dance?”

Willow gently placed her hand in theirs. “Why, yes you may,  _ usted. _ ” Before Boscha could ask what that meant, Willow had swung around, taking them with her. Boscha looked into Willow’s eyes, seeing themself reflected in her glasses. Finally, their dream for over a year had come true. Time itself seemed to slow down as Boscha smiled, one of their genuine smiles that had been growing in frequency over the past year. A smile so wide, their eyes instinctively closed. Had they been open, they would’ve seen Willow blush at the sight of the smiling witch before them. All Boscha knew was that they didn’t want this to end.

Alas, every song has its end, and every fight against the literal embodiment of fear has its start. Boscha and Willow made their way to the stands to watch Amity confront her fears, Luz ready to assist her girlfriend if need be. Grom wouldn’t be as strong this year, since Luz managed to win without any assistance from Amity, but Bump decided having a student on standby would be a good permanent rule. As Grometheus emerged from below the floor, Boscha turned to Willow.

“By the way, what does  _ usted _ mean? You called me that earlier and it didn’t feel like an insult or a compliment,” they asked.

“Well, I was looking for a way to say sir or ma’am that would apply to you. I couldn’t find anything even after looking through every literature book with the help of the librarians. So, I turned to Luz, and she said  _ usted _ is a close fit. It literally means “you” but in a much more formal way in Spanish.” Boscha felt like their heart was going to burst from their chest. Transitioning had been hard, and Willow doing all that for them made them as happy as can be. Without thinking, they pulled Willow into a hug.

“Thank you so much, Willow. I can not stress enough how much that means to me.” Willow hugged them back, pressing into them. The two held the embrace for a while before separating. Willow formed a magic circle, a pink boilflower forming.

“Do you remember the meaning of this one?” she asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having Boscha be taken in by the Blights was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I didn't want to portray them as too good parents (since they aren't) but I also didn't want to portray them as completely evil.
> 
> Angrymony = Agrimony; Means thankfulness and gratitude. They aren't really dangerous flowers, except their seeds are sharp, but I made them a living plant to fit with the pun I made.  
> Wandmullein = Wand Mullein; Mullein flowers only mean good-natured (according to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, that's where I'm looking at plant symbolism.), and I felt the wand part of the species was enough.  
> Astar = Aster; Means love, daintiness, and trusting. It's also a common flower on corsages.  
> Maginolia = Magnolia; Means love of nature.
> 
> A big thank you to the r/whatstheword community for suggesting usted (pronounced OO-sted). 
> 
> And finally Boilflower = Rainflower (because of the boiling rains in the show); Means "I love you back." (As well as "I must atone for my sins" and "I will never forget you" but the first one was the main one).

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to take actual flowers and slightly alter the names for this story. I'll also give the meanings of said flowers in the end notes.  
> Purple Carnagetion = Purple Carnation; Meaning capriciousness (since Willow can't predict how Boscha will change) and changeable (because Willow knows Boscha can change). It also means whimsical and unreliability, but those don't exactly apply.


End file.
